I ran across these two clips in the PREMIER GUITAR YouTube videos. Some of you are familiar with these videos, may have seen the 'Rig Rundown' with Stanley Clarke that someone brought up a while back.

These are by local luthier/tech/bassist Tony Nagy. I like them as he explains the technical bits (without getting technical!) in a matter-of-fact way. I really like that he centers this instruction about a five-string, as you really encounter a few extra considerations running that big B (see what you started, Jimmy?) and he addresses them, something I've not usually seen as lots of these instructional setup videos are generally on four-string axes. And I know that it's a lot easier to watch somebody talk you through something than to just read, so I thought I'd pass these along.

And he suggests three things I always live by: Tune after each adjustment (and always tune UP), only do this with the bass in playing position (NOT laying on a neck block on a table), and be sure the windings on the post are nice and straight (like cable on a new winch).

While this is a bolt-neck, Jazz-derived axe, everything applies to a neck-thru, our Alembics in particular. And you can see that some of the things he mentions, Alembics are way easier to do what he's talking about. More relief bass than high? We have two truss rods. Nut too low or high? Screw it up or down. Piece of cake.

. . . . which are built and distributed by Club member Brian Barrett, the owner of the LOW END Bass Shop and its related businesses, south of here in Murfreesboro, TN. Brian runs across more than a few used Alembics from time to time, and keeps a dizzying assortment of custom axes for sale.

Set-up is a very individual thing, and varies from player to player by style, as Tony points out. But on good-condition axes where there are no real problems, this is one DIY I've always worked on to CONTROL my own axes on my own. If you're of the same mindset, I hope this adds to your knowledge.